Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1887-07-01
QUEENS Of THE DUDES.
netting About the Popular Favor
ties Now Reignfng Behind the Foot

Som ething About the Popular Favor
ties Now Reignfng Behind the Foot
lights.
New York Letter to Burlington Free Press.1
That peculiar class of humanity who have,
in different ages, been known as "beaux, "
'Fbucks,' ''fops,'' ''swells," and down to
our own darling dudes, have at all times had
some common object of alteration toward
whom the eyes of all were turned and whose
capricious favor all strove to obtain. The
dude OF the middle ages was, to be sure, a
very different creature from the dude of to-
| day, but in the knightly chronicles of Frois-
sart we read how the medieval swell used
to get his gilded armor all mussed up and
risk his own precious neck in the Journeys in
honor of the queen of youth and beauty.
The reign of each of these queens has been
short and has left but small impress upon the
| history of the world, but each in her time
| was, no doubt, the all-absorbing object of
the alteration of the jeunesse doree of her
| age, as our present queens of the dudes are
| to-day, but when her brief reign was over
| she did not pass into history. She was for
gotten. Adelaide Nelson is but name to
| our younger generation of playgoers, as
Lillian Russell will be to the next. For
| the queens of the dudes have for the last
| century been divinities of the footlights,
and it is in the lime-1ight's glare that we
| must look for the queens of dudedom of to-
| day.
Lillian Russell was the first upon whom
the regal title was bestowed by the press,
and she deserved it, too, for young New York
| went mad over her baby fece and pretty
ways; but Lillian is getting in a faltering
grip; besides, she is growing fat, and a fat
queen is out of the question. Born in Clin-
| ton, Ia, in December, 1851, she made her
| first appearance as violinist in Chicago.
When she came to New York q little later
| she decided to give up the violin and trust
| for success to her face, which was only pretty
| and pleasing. Her name at that time was
| Helen Louise Leonard, and she was christ
| ened Lillian Russell by Tony Pastor because
| the combination of ''Is' in the name look
ed well on three-sheet poster. While at
Tony Pastors she was discovered by Mr.. E.
E. Rice, who has probably employed more
pretty girls than any other man in the thea
| trical business. Once with him she became
| the furore Hundreds of dollars worth of
| flowers was sent to her every night She
| was made queen of the dudes without dis
| senting voice. Then her marital idiosyn-
crasies began to exhibit themselves, and
everybody is familiar with her more recent
history.
Pauline Hall was the next stage beauty to
take dudedom by storm. She made her first
appearance in Rice's Evangeline company in
| the 'front row. of the chorus. She is a
CINCINNATI girl, from Cover the Rhine"
and ner real name is, was, Pauline
Schmidtgall. She is now, in the eyes of the
law and to the favored ones who have the
honor of her acquaintance, Mrs. White. She
| is always foremost in any effort to assist un-
fortunate members of the profession. Per-
sonalIy she is Jolly and unaffected. She has
studied hard during the past few years, and
has improved wonderfully both in singing and
acting.
Isabella Urquhart is, from a purely artistic
| standpoint, perhaps the most beautiful of
| any who have held the scepter over New
| York dudedom. With face and figure like
a Greek statue. her classical outlines caught
| the popular fancy at once. She still reigns =,
| and by no means small number of theatre
| goers enthusiastically refer to her as the
most beautiful woman on the stage. She
made her first appearance at the Standard
| Theater under Henderson's management,
| and since has played opposite to Pauline
| Hall at the Casino. Miss Urquhart is one of
| the cold and reserved beauties, and keeps her
| admirers at very respectable distance. She
/ is one of the few dude queens who have brains
as well as beauty. The breath of scandal has
never tainted her reputation, and this is pos-
sibly the reason why we have not seen more
| of her name in the papers.
| Marie Samson is O chubby, Ioly poly, jolly
creature, who made her first appearance with
| Ed. Rice in Boston some four or five years
ago. She then came to New York and took
| the dudes by storm by her singing of "Oh,
| Mamma in the Black Hussar," Wher-
| ever she went she was the idol of the dude
| contingent. Now she is at the Casino and
is recognized as the especial pet of the gild-
ed youths who compose the Seventh regi-
ment.
| Mrs. Langtry can hardly be enrolled in
this category among the dude queens, for,
| though the jeunesse doree went crazy over
her for a time, she selected her own partiou-
lar dude early in her career and stuck to
| him through thick and thin. 1t is pretty
definitely settled now that she will marry
Fred Gebhard so soon as she can procure
| a divorce from her husband Her beauty
has SO often been described that people who
see her are generally disappointed. 1t consists
mainly in queenly carriage and marvellous
| complexion added to a certain charm of man
ner which would convince blind man that
she must be lovely.